The original outpost in DC’s Cleveland Park—which has the best kitchen—attracts a power crowd, McLean pulls in Tysons-area shoppers, and Bethesda is a family scene and a pre- and postmovie stop. White butcher paper on the tables, glossy wood booths, and market umbrellas on the patio give the place a raffish style.

What to get: Fire-roasted-tomato soup; roasted beets with blood-orange vinaigrette; grilled-tilapia BLT; lamb and goat cheese on sourdough; pan-roasted sea bass over grilled corn with beurre blanc; the house hamburger.